This leopard-print sweater has been in my closet for more than 6 years. I snagged it years ago at a discount high-end retailer. It’s one of those items that is a perfect classic piece designed to last years without going out of style. But even if the shape and style is timeless it doesn’t mean that the sweater will last years.

Care for our clothing is a lost art today in our disposable culture. When fast fashion makes clothing cheap to purchase and easy to discard, there is less concern about keeping things for years. But our grandmothers, or great grandmothers knew how to make clothing last. They darned socks, and patched pants. They knew how to fix holes in knit sweaters and remove stains from nearly every imaginable fabric. When my grandmother passed away years ago she had several pairs of pedal pushers that I’m pretty sure were 40+ years old and they still looked good as new.

Caring for our clothes is so much more important than a moment of nostalgia for a past generation. It is economical. It is environmental. It is responsible. It is service to others. Wait, what?! How is it all those things? Well… here’s how.

It is economical - the more we care for our clothing, the less we need to spend on purchasing new items. All those ‘saving’ resolutions we made this New Year will happen if we buy less clothing by caring for the things we do have. All those places we would visit if we had the money will be seen if that sweater makes it two seasons, or three, instead of one and done.

It is environmental - every day we add more and more to landfills all over the world, that can’t keep happening. We need to take care of our planet, our beautiful earth. The less we can contribute to the garbage heaps the better. Keeping a piece of clothing for years and years means less fast fashion filling the earth and taking years to decompose.

It is responsible - I suppose this goes with it being environmental but also with adulting. It’s responsible to take care of the things which we have charge of. It’s responsible to treat them well, to preserve them, to help them last. It’s responsible to the environment as well.

It is service to others - dressing well in clothing that is well kept is a service to those who look at us every day. It’s real service to take care of our appearance, so taking care of our clothing is no difficult. Keeping things a little longer is also service to the future generations who won’t need to deal with over-filled landfills and items we’re constantly purging.